2.04.2010

Lemon Chicken with Artichokes and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Sometimes it takes a few trys until I get a dish right. That is how it is with most things in life.

I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember. Most of my jobs early in my life involved food in some sort of way. I was a busgirl at a local hamburger restaurant when I was 15. I worked at an ice cream shop and scooped until my arm was sore when I was 19. I was the weekend cook at my sorority house when I was 22. When I graduated college, the stars aligned and I took my dream job as....... a commercial real estate appraiser. Not.

I was lured by a job in the big city with a steady paycheck, a briefcase, and a train ride to and from work. My first appraisal job lead to two more appraisal jobs until 1 then 2 then 3 kids were running around our house. My appraisal life was over, and I was not sad to see it go.

Fast forward 10 years and with the kids in school full time, I was back in the kitchen and working in a small gourmet cafe. Planning menus, making sandwiches with funky names on focaccia bread, washing piles of dishing, waiting on customers; I was in my glory. It did not seem like work to me. Two years later the cafe closed its doors, and I was again looking for my next food job.

I cooked and I cooked and I cooked for my family. But there is just so much food one family can eat. I stumbled upon the notion of being a personal chef. My days are spent not only cooking for my family, but for 5 other families as well. Each family has a different set of tastes and the menus I prepare are ever changing. There is not a day that I am bored or I wish I was doing something else.

It took a few trys until I found the right job for me. You know it is the right one when it doesn't feel like work. Being a personal chef doesn't feel like work to me.

Lemon Chicken with Artichokes and Sun Dried Tomatoes was a dish that took a few trys to perfect. The pan sauteed chicken is bathed in a light lemony sauce punctuated by artichoke hearts, tart sun dried tomatoes, and gets a kick from Dijon mustard.

This dish comes together so quickly it doesn't seem like work to get dinner on the table.

Heat a large saute pan to medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil. Saute the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 - 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chicken. Remove from pan and keep warm.

In the same pan, add the wine and bring to a boil. Whisk in the mustard and chicken stock. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and whisk until it melts and the sauce thickens slightly. Gently stir in the artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes and lemon slices. Add the sauteed chicken and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the parsley.

20 comments:

I am in Anguilla for 3 months and grocery items aren't always available all the time like at home. This is somthing I will make tonight, I have everything except the lemons and parsley, should be able to find these things today. I'll post hw I like it later. Thanks!

Juliann - You always hear that when you find your passion, you will know it. I thought that I would not know/or find what was the right passion for me. I feel that being a personal chef is only the first step in my journey.